Abstract
Nanocomposite of Fe3O4–nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe3O4–NG) was synthesized by single step hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized composite was characterised by various techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and thermal analysis (TGA). The catalytic role of synthesized nanocomposite in visible light induced photodegradation of methyl orange (MO; acidic dye) and methylene blue (MB; basic dye) was explored. The role of Cu(II) ions on the photodegradation of the organic dyes was also monitored. Cu(II) ions enhance the photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite by capturing photoelectron, thereby quenching the recombination process of electron–hole pair in photocatalyst.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge SAIF, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati for their technical support. We thank Indian Institute of Technology Mandi for powder X-ray diffraction study. One of the author (R.S.) is thankful to UGC New Delhi (Grant no. F./2015-17/RGNF-2015/17-JAM-450) for financial support.
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Singh, R., Kumar, M., Khajuria, H. et al. Hydrothermal synthesis of magnetic Fe3O4–nitrogen-doped graphene hybrid composite and its application as photocatalyst in degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue dyes in presence of copper (II) ions. Chem. Pap. 72, 1181–1192 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0385-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0385-y